Topic: Making money by supplying "picks and shovels"? (Read 701 times)

...

Newb Au and BTC fan OROBTC has been looking at the Mining threads, and it looks to me that mining is not profitable for newbs without huge $$$ or very specialized knowledge (I am the proud owner of about 2.5 BTC that I bought for CA$H).  So, I wonder if there might be another angle, along the lines of the "picks and shovels" sellers from the 1849 California Gold Rush.  Maybe selling things (as a middleman) like:

--  raw bulk materials, pure silver, palladium, other metals, other raw materials

--  special or commodity chips (China?, or do the mining mfrs have all this nailed down?, probably...)

--  items like very clean copper (silver) cables or wires

--  items where cost of labor is high (eg hand-made rigs, shelving, packaging)

--  clean electrical equipment for individuals building their own mining rigs, testing equipment

--  recycled metals I can source from Peru (I live in the USA but partly own an import/export company in Peru)

--  cheap (or expensive high-performance) ball bearings

--  items to upgrade personal mining rigs

Etc.  I fully understand that the BTC mining community probably have IQs up there in 150+ range (and maybe have all their supplies all scoped out), but I have a background in importing & exporting and am always looking for ways to make a buck or a BTC.  Ideas appreciated, thank you.